What is lung inflammation?
Lung inflammation means the multiplication of the inflammatory cells (leukocytes, macrophages) and, sometimes, fluid in the lungs.
Symptoms of Lung Inflammation
The most common symptom of lung inflammation is a cough. Other symptoms can include coughing up mucus, shortness of breath, fever, night sweats and fatigue.
Types of Lung Inflammation
Pneumonia is a lung inflammation caused by infection:
- Bacterial pneumonia
- Viral pneumonia
- Fungal pneumonia
- Atypical pneumonia including Mycoplasma pneumonia and Legionnaires’ disease
Tuberculosis is an infection of the lungs with the Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
Sarcoidosis is an autoimmune disease with an accumulation of the groups of inflammatory cells called granulomas in the lungs and lymph nodes.
Pneumonitis is lung inflammation from causes other than infection, for example, aspiration of vomit or inhalation of toxic gases (chemical pneumonitis) or silica fiber (silicosis), radiation or autoimmune disease.
- Eosinophilic pneumonitis is caused, for example, by intestinal parasites or drugs. The condition is widely known as eosinophilic pneumonia, which is a technically incorrect term, because no infection is involved.
Related Conditions
- Pulmonary edema is an accumulation of fluid in the lungs’ air sacs from causes other than inflammation, such as congestive heart failure and trauma.
- Pleurisy is an inflammation of the lung membrane (pleura).
- Bronchitis is an inflammation of the trachea (windpipe) and bronchi.